


Contemplation

by luemeldane



Series: Blue is the color of Grace [3]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Battlefield, Contemplation, Father-Son Relationship, Fatherhood, M/M, Pre-Slash, Romance, Whitebeard's POV, Wisdom, fraternal love, power display
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-24 23:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12022893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luemeldane/pseuds/luemeldane
Summary: In short, as a father, there was a lot he wanted to say and do in order to help his boys. But he knew it wasn’t his place to do so. Interfering could do more damage than good if the thickheaded idiots didn’t accept or understand his advice. Bringing out some facts and truths that neither of them had the courage acknowledge yet could risk even the brotherhood bond they shared and that was a chance Whitebeard would not take. They would have to figure everything out on their own and their Oyaji would only pray for whatever divine entities may be out there that they could find their path to happiness in the end.





	Contemplation

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I'm not sure where this came from. I just had this image in my head of two tower of flames and I had to put it down on "paper" somehow. I have a feeling that this may be a little unsatisfying in terms of romance for some of you guys. So, if you are waiting for some action, I excuse myself in advance because nothing sexual is going to happen in this one. Yet, I felt like it was very important to add Whitebeard's insight on the relationship between his sons (ugh, this sounds bad, but you all know what I mean!). Also, I think it is more suitable to the kind of story I'm writing to describe facts and situations that SHOW their character and feelings instead of just describing the character and feelings plainly. I'm usually very forward in my fictions, dwelling on romance and sex right away. But this work is different for me, is more deep and sutil. I don't know when I'll get to real contact between the boys, but I think it will be sometime soon. Context is already settled so there's only one direction to move. Please, bear with me and hopefully you will enjoy the ride!

Edward Newgate was comfortably sat in his gigantic chair in the Moby Dick, serenely looking at the battle unfolding in the deck of his ship and in the island where it was docked. The light breeze of that summer afternoon was carrying around the feral screams of the men and the jangling of swords colliding. A discrete smile reached his mouth as he observed the development of the combat. He noted with satisfaction that all of his sons were smiling, despite the brutality coming about. There were blood and bruises and a lot of fallen bodies, but the death toll was still zero. His boys were just having fun, relieving their pent up energy from countless days at the sea. 

He never commanded his crew to refrain from killing their enemies. It was a kind of understanding that came naturally to them. They were a family sailing the seas together, looking for adventures and good times in the company of each other. They were not murderers. That’s why they had an unspoken agreement to kill only when needed. Which meant they killed only when their lives were at risk and when they faced enemies who represented harm to innocent people. The second case came from a shared sense of justice that was also tacit, but very strong.

There was one time when they came ashore on an island that was being terrorized by a bunch of bandits that were kidnapping little kids and teenagers to be sold as sex slaves. They intended to make a brief pause on the journey back home to restock supplies, but Ace’s fresh meat caught the eyes of a scout of the gang who was looking for potential victims in the capital’s market place. Later, they made the mistake of trying to capture the brunette in the Inn he was staying, probably not even knowing who he was, since the ship was hidden and no one knew Whitebeard’s crew was in the island. The problem was that despite being weak, the bandits were cunning. They got word that Ace decided to stay in town that night, among some of the crew members who were particularly missing dry land, and proceeded to bribe the manager of the Inn to slip a drug into Ace’s beverage. 

The boy excused himself way too early that night, claiming he was already too drunk. It was strange since Ace was no lightweight and had only drunk a pint of booze. He stumbled upstairs, using the wall for support all along. He never made it to the bed, though. As soon as he crossed the doorframe of the room he was suppose to share with Marco, he passed out. He was so out of it that he never realized there were two men hiding in the shadows. As soon as the pale body sank to the ground, both stepped down and approached him. Like that, Ace was easy pray. But to his luck, Marco noticed the odd behavior the boy was displaying and followed him to the room. The blond reached the door in time to see those men running their hands over the exposed skin of Ace’s torso like they were examining a fine and expensive product.

“He is a little bit older than our usual targets, but he is actually better than most. The combination of his slender frame, white skin and freckles gives him this boyish charm that appeal to a specific market that would pay a fortune to have this boy.” 

Marco heard it, of course, and the cold and clinical tone enraged him almost as much as the sight of the disgusting hands touching his comrade fair skin. Whitebeard, of course, was unaware of the details of what happened in that night, but Marco had come back to the ship carrying Ace in his arms, covered in blood and with empty eyes. Two corpses were found that night, each one of them exhibiting a clean cut that slit their throats. The blond told him that, after some roughing up and lethal threats, he got the criminals to confess where their hideout was located. It hadn’t explained why Marco killed the men instead of delivering them to the local authorities and Newgate never asked. Nobody ever questioned Marco’s decision, even though it was not their usual  _ modus operandi _ . 

While Whitebeard recalled that fateful day, the violence of the ongoing battle started to reach dangerous levels and he knew it was time to end it, before they were obliged to take measures they didn’t want to. Before he could give the command to his crew, a flash of bright and colourful lights reached his eyes. From the woods in the island, two tower of flames arose - one was a mix of orange and yellow and the other a mix of light, otherworldly blue and gold. He smiled. His boys realized on their own the necessity of sending a strong enough message to make their enemies back away and proceeded to do so very effectively. The flames spread through the sky and the air displacement caused by so much fire made a noise that sounded like a wild roar. Which was appropriate, since soon enough the shapeless lights took the form of two giant creatures: the blue/gold one became a bird - a Phoenix of course - and the orange/yellow became a dragon. 

It was sort of mystifying to see Marco and Ace working together. Despite the clearly hazardous and menacing nature of their powers, they were incredibly beautiful as well. This was true even when they were by themselves, but when they joined forces the perfect contrast of Marco’s cold and ethereal colors and Ace’s strong and vivid ones was simply magnificent. It was truly a spectacle to watch them - surely a terrifying one for their enemies, but awe-inspiring for their comrades. This time was no different, judging by the sheer horror painted on the faces of the opponent crew that had already started to backtrack in their positions with eyes transfixed on the creatures in the sky. They stood back to back against the grey clouds  - the Phoenix was in the typical attack posture of a bird of prey and the Dragon was rampant. Whitebeard would bet all his money that the men controlling the flames were in the same position on the ground, back to back, as they would always be found in a battle. 

Although the desired effect of scaring their foes to death was already fulfilled, Marco and Ace had an unadmitted flair for the dramatics that always shone through in moments like this one. After a few seconds of stillness where only the crepitation of the fire echoed loudly through the air, the beasts finally moved and took a deep nosedive. It was like they were free falling from the firmament and maybe his mind was playing a trick on him, but he could swear that he heard a screech and a roar as they descended from the heights. Just before they touched the ground, when they were no more than a few inches above the heads of the people scattered through that piece of land, they made a quick (and impressive, given the speed they reached) recovery and adjusted their direction into a nap-of-the-earth flight - one to the east and the other to the west from the origin point. 

Their movements produced a wave of air that was so strong that it made almost everyone fall on their asses, except the high echelon officers of Whitebeard’s crew. Once they flew by the whole battlefield, the beasts rose again, changing their trajectory for the last time and flying towards one another. When they finally met, they exploded into a burst of light where yellow, gold, orange and blue couldn’t really be distinguished, melting and blending against the paleness of the cloudy sky. By that point, the members of the enemy crew who hadn’t already vanished from sight were running for their lives in desperation. Newgate couldn’t help himself, he immediately began to laugh loudly and wholeheartedly. And it was not because he took pleasure in winning or reaffirming his power, but because the display he had just witnessed was so faithful to Marco and Ace’s personality that it was actually funny.

In fact, their creatures were but an expression of themselves - opposite but perfectly complementary.  While Marco was calm, serene, composed and very much rational, Ace was wild, boisterous, joyful and driven by pure instinct. Yet, they were drawn to each other like magnets. Whitebeard saw it clearly from the moment Ace joined the crew - the nature of the relationship developing between him and the commander of the first division. He knew what drove Marco to kill those man in that faraway island and it was not to protect himself, a comrade or an innocent person. It was to protect Ace and for that reason he would go to lengths that he would not even entertain going for those other reasons. He knew that there was never a fight inside that room. What happened there was murder. He had seen enough battlefields and murder scenes in his lifetime to know from the mere description given by another one of his sons that Marco had took those lives mercilessly. 

They never talked about it. There was no need to. Those men deserved to die and dead they were. But there were many things he wished to say to his sons. For example, he wanted to tell Marco that sometimes he should think less, because they lived violent and deathly lives, possibly too short to waste time with such vulgar morality as that of the common people. That he should take advantage of the freedom that underlies their way of life instead of sacrifice the desires of his heart based on excessive and frankly stupid self-imposed obligations. To Ace, on the other hand, he wanted to say that he shouldn’t be afraid of the happiness he envisioned, but didn’t dare to touch. That he was worthy, that he was good enough and that he  _ COULD  _ actively seek and act upon his feelings. That he didn’t have to wait on the sidelines for Marco’s affection. That he could claim it, because it was rightfully his anyway. To both of them, he wanted to be able to explain that even if they hearts were in the right places - Marco trying to  _ not _ take advantage of Ace’s vulnerability and Ace trying to  _ not  _ force himself upon Marco because he thought he would be a burden - the way they were acting was hurting the other instead of preserving them. 

In short, as a father, there was a lot he wanted to say and do in order to help his boys. But he knew it wasn’t his place to do so. Interfering could do more damage than good if the thickheaded idiots didn’t accept or understand his advice. Bringing out some facts and truths that neither of them had the courage acknowledge yet could risk even the brotherhood bond they shared and that was a chance Whitebeard would not take. They would have to figure everything out on their own and their Oyaji would only pray for whatever divine entities may be out there that they could find their path to happiness in the end.

With this thought in mind, he looked at the line of trees that separated the forest from the sandy shore and saw the two sons he had been worrying about coming out from the woods. They were covered in dirt and thicket pieces from head to toe and were leaning against each other for support, visibly exhausted  from using so much of their power on the early lightshow. Despite that, they were grinning like a couple of mad clowns, smugness and satisfaction radiating from the pair. 

Once again, Newgate couldn’t help but smile. He had no rational reason to believe in that since apparently nothing had changed in the dynamics of their relationship, but in his heart he had faith that happiness was closer than ever for those two. 

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is it for now! I'm probably going to continue this one, but I always make an effort to give closure to each chapter, in case I don't find inspiration to go on. If you liked this one and want me to continue, kudos and comments are always a sure fire way to get me going. Tell me what you think about it, even if it's not good. Criticism also helps me grow as a writer! See you soon, I hope!


End file.
